Launch Base
At Fort Wadsworth, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett drop flowers into the ruins of the Pit, honoring Destro as a respectable foe. Suddenly a Rattler glides in silently, flown by the Baroness, and drops a wreath saying "R.I.P. Desto". She flies away crying. On Cobra Island, Serpentor has taken over the leadership of Cobra and meets envoys from the new government of Sierra Gordo. They want anti-aircraft defense facilities and Serpentor offers them a Terror Drome, a pre-fabricated launch base for the Firebat system. The envoys instantly produce their cash. In the snack bar at Fort Wadsworth, a newly arrived officer plays the "Mig Waxer" arcade game and secures the maximum score available in shooting down all the aircraft. He introduces himself as Slip-Stream, the new Joe fighter pilot. Down in the ruins of the Pit, Cobra Commander and Destro are still alive but can't shift the rubble to get out, so Destro tries to devise an alternative escape plan. A week later in Sierra Gordo, the first Terror Drome is assembled under the supervision of Dr. Mindbender. The envoys are impressed but want to see it in action. At Fort Wadsworth, Airtight delivers satellite pictures of the Terror Drome to Hawk and suggests that as they can't go to Cobra Island they can try infiltrating the base in Sierra Gordo instead. In order to get good surveillance, he suggests letting someone get captured, such as Snake-Eyes who would be best to go inside, but warns that if Cobra knew they had a ninja captured, security would be increased. Hawk likes the plan and puts it into immediate effect. On Cobra Island, Serpentor tells Zartan, Zandar and Zarana that he wants to make Cobra successful and profitable and is putting the family in the sales corps to sell Terror Dromes to all who can afford them. The next day Slipstream flies Flint in the new Conquest X-30 over Sierra Gordo whilst the Baroness, Tomax and Xamot arrive by helicopter at the newly constructed Terror Drome. Seeing the plane on the screens, the Baroness orders a Firebat to be dispatched as a demonstration. The Conquest X-30 fires on the helicopter, destroying it, and is shot at by the Dome's guns. Then the Firebat is launched and Slipstream finds it hard to evade. They fire on each other until the Conquest X-30 is hit. The pilot reports on only one parachutist and Mindbender dispatches the twins for retrieval. They set off on the Ferret, commenting that Mindbender's assumption of command may not last for long. Meanwhile, the envoys from the Sierra Gordo government like the demonstration and decide to order more Terror Dromes. The twins reach Flint's landing site and knock him out, taking him back to the Terror Drome. Back in Fort Wadsworth, Hawk receives a radio message from Slip-Stream, who explains that he went under the radar horizon and switched to full stealth mode, letting loose a laser guided bomb to simulate the crash while delivering the target, but he can't confirm pick-up. Behind Hawk, Scarlett and Flint comment there's no way to tell whether he's landed safely. In Sierra Gordo, "Flint" is brought in, refusing to answer questions. Tomax and Xamot comment that Flint is not talkative unlike the time they encountered him on a roller-coaster in Staten Island. Tomax notes that Flint is "intense and brooding", but concedes that "people change", although Xamot wonders. Mindbender has the prisoner taken to the remodeled Brain-Wave Scanner. "Flint" is shocked as he is strapped in and Mindbender activates it. Back at Fort Wadsworth, Lady Jaye tells Flint that Scarlett must be worried sick, but Flint thinks she should be used to this by now. Lady Jaye responds that one never gets used to it, just better at hiding the fear, and asks if Flint knows what it's like to be afraid. He admits he does and she cuts back "I was beginning to think you were really stupid"... Nearby and underground, it is raining heavily and the water is draining into the ruins of the Pit. Cobra Commander and Destro worry they will drown! |Appearing1= Featured Characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment |MemorableQuotes1="You do know what it's like to be afraid, don't you?" "Uh, sure! I've been afraid a lot!" "I was beginning to think you were really stupid..." :--They may be top-notch soldiers, but Lady Jaye and Flint both really suck at flirting. |Errors1=*Serpentor is shown wearing red armor - a color also seen on some prototype photos of the original Serpentor action figure. *Slip-Stream is introduced playing video games in the Ft. Wadsworth rec room. He's written as though this is his first appearance, but he was mentioned by name and had a small scene in #49. He "introduces" himself to Wild Bill, Ace and Airborne, despite the fact that he was flying a C-130 and communicating with them during the Battle of Springfield. *On page 16, Tomax's shoulder armour plate is missing. |ItemsOfNote1=*'First Appearances:' Terror Drome, A.V.A.C. *Dial Tone's first appearance in the main series. (see ''Special Missions'' #2) *Return of the country of Sierra Gordo. First appearance of their national flag. *Cobra sells the first Terror Drome. *For an "ultimate soldier" and military strategist, Serpentor is really interested in marketing and being a sleazy salesman. *The re-organization of Cobra continues this issue. Serpentor, Dr. Mindbender and the Zartan family are portrayed as being the head honchos. *In the United Kingdom the story was reprinted in Transformers #178, #179, #180 & #181. |RealWorldRefs1=*The "guy in the white suit" who's picky about coffee beans is Juan Valdez. |Footnotes= }} Category:Advertised Issues Category:Sierra Gordo/Appearances